Wet Wednesday

5:30 am

I've had another pain pill just now.  I've slept surprisingly well given the extra fuss in our room.

The nurses had a busier than usual night.  Yesterday they packed off two graduates and then admitted two frosh in their place.  One of the frosh, the one diagonally across my room, is having a colonoscopy, or something that needs you to be as empty as for a colonoscopy, so he has had enough pills to flush his system.  Since he has to go a lot and cannot walk fast, they have given him a commode chair so he does not have to go far.  Of course, his room is right by the bathroom and his commode chair blocks the way to the spa for the rest of us - we take up more room than normal people because we have to take IV poles with us wherever we go.  So the remaining three of us have taken to using the little plastic urinal bottles.  All of this is to explain why, even though I have no trouble using the porcelain throne, I've left a 510 ml of urine and a 220 ml of bile in containers on my window sill.

The other extra fuss is the guy beside me.  I don't know why but he needed more attention in the night than he usually does and didn't seem to remember where he was and why.

Fortunately, the yeller down the hall has been kept quiet.

It is foggy and I can't even pick out the outline of Wolfe Island in the fog.

Since there is no medical news yet I'm going to see if I can get a bit more sleep.

7:45

I did go back to sleep but the four young doctors group woke me about 6:30 as they made their rounds.  It was a slightly different group than other days.  The one that did the talking reminds me a little of my nephew Ben.  They went over the results of my visit to the stent doctor and didn't really seem to know anything I didn't.  There seems to be some difference of opinion as to whether I should have a few days with no surgery (maybe at home) so that I can become stronger or whether they should try again to either fix or replace that stent because it would make chemo and other treatments work better.  He said they would see the chemo doctor and Dr Nanji and try to hammer out a decision.

I'm a little hesitant to post too many details about the goings-on in my room as it would be possible to figure out who the people are but I thought I'd share some more goings-on with you.

I suppose this section could be entitled "Why some people want private rooms".

You may recall that one person has been busy on the commode chair most of the night.  Fortunately, since I've been awake he has spent more time in bed than on the chair so I hope he is past the worst.  However, just as the four young doctors were leaving, another guy decided to get up and go without calling the nurse.  He immediately dropped poop or blood or both all over the floor.  The four young doctors tried to get him to sit down and I told him to get back down but he said he was up and going.  I rang my buzzer to try to get a nurse but it was just after 7.  The nurses change shifts at 7 and the outgoing shift is busy finishing reports and exchanging info with the [big gap here while nurse Laura takes my vitals etc.] incoming shift so even though there are more nurses in the building only half of them are on duty and there are fewer available to answer buzzers or who even know what patients they have today.  So while she really was reasonably quick to respond, it took longer than usual.  It seemed even longer than that because my neighbour really had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed (i.e. on the side opposite his IV).  He is spinning his wheels in his poop and almost pulling his IV tower over.  The first nurse can't do much by herself and just tries to get him to sit down until more help is there but he still insists he is up and mobile. [big gap here while food lady brings breakfast and I eat it] I think she just hugged him enough to get him to sit down until a second nurse arrived so they could take him to the bathroom together and then a third nurse came to clean up the bed and the floor.  Meanwhile, one of the other guys wants something now! and buzzes and whines when he does not get immediate attention.  His curtain is drawn and he can't see that there are already several nurses working hard in the same room.

Not exactly Grey's Anatomy but it was exciting for a while. Kudos to the nurses who can work with such unreasonable patients and still smile and be nice to us when it is over.

Breaking News at 5 pm

Anne and Teresa are here now.  Teresa is the driving force in the Westben office who occasionally brings Brian's feet down to touch the ground so that the non-musical things get done.

I'm not going home today. (Wed)
I'm not going home tomorrow. (Thursday)
I will likely go home the next day. (Friday)
If I don't go Friday, I will go Saturday.

Of course even things we think we are sure of may not happen. It is now 7 pm, Anne says I have this correct and she and Teresa have gone home.

When I do get home it may take until next week to get Internet working at home.  I may be able to update the blog occasionally at a friend or neighbour's place or by talking to Stephen on the phone.  If you really need to contact us then phone.

Best wishes to all and thanks for your support.